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HONORS SELF- DESIGNED PROPOSAL

Complete this proposal prior to your experiences start date and upload it in the UHP Database
(https://webapps.uc.edu/uchonorsstudent). Create an experience (Add a new record) in the Tracking Project
tab and upload your proposal document as an attachment. The deadline for submitting proposals is the 5th of
each month (excluding July).
Proposals are intended to be well developed plans for your experience. However, experiences are exploratory in
nature, and we are flexible with changes throughout the experience. If your experience changes after receiving
approval on your proposal, contact your honors advisor to verify the changes still satisfy the requirements of an
honors experience.

Basic Information
Full Name:

Griffin Christensen

Title of Project:

Lockwood Longboarding

Thematic Area(s):

Community Engagement, Creativity, Leadership

Expected Start Date: Beginning of Summer 2016

Expected End Date:

Ending of Summer 2016

GUIDELINES
1. Proposal submission timeline: Proposals should be submitted at least one month prior to the expected
start date of the experience. International experiences require at least two months notice. Contact your
honors advisor immediately for any exceptions.
2. Proposal length: While the quality of the proposal is most important, strong proposals are typically 3-4
pages single-spaced.
3. Proposal format: Please maintain the proposal format (e.g. headers, layout)
4. Time commitment: Experiences should consist of at least 75-90 hours of preparation, execution, and
reflection. This is approximately equivalent to the commitment of honors seminars and pre-approved
experiences.

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL

All self-designed international travel experiences require two months notice and must be at least one week in
length. You will need to provide a detailed itinerary (dates, locations and activities). If participating in
independent travel (not with UC faculty, staff or student group), you must also fill out a Worldwide: Honors
Experience application via UC International.
Additionally, the Student Travel Policy restricts UC-sponsored travel to countries under a U.S. Department of
State Travel Warning. Those who wish to visit a country with a travel warning must seek an exemption through
UC International. Students traveling without a faculty or staff leader must individually request an exemption.
We cannot allow you to count this travel as an honors experience nor can we give you a grant without an
approved exemption.

1. Abstract
Briefly describe the experience. What makes this experience personally meaningful? What goals do you have for this
experience? What is your timeline for this experience?
Lockwood Longboarding is a Limited Liability Company that designs and distributes Downhill skateboarding
apparel, it was founded and is managed by me. In the summer of 2013, Lockwood was founded, and has been growing,
highly passionate user base, and have begun to become recognized in the longboarding world. Managing and growing a
company is a great way for me to become engaged in a community and to develop leadership skills. Designing and
producing the clothing is an excellent way to get involved with two other thematic areas: creativity and research. I have
been managing and working on this company now for the last few years, and making it into an honors experience would
be an incredible opportunity for me to work on it more. I hope that over the summer I can make significant impacts in
growth for my company. I am looking to expand our customer base, attend more events and make new products based on
necessity.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Brief description of the experience

Personal connection to the experience
Identified goals for the experience
Timeline from start to finish
*Itinerary (international experiences only)
**Explanation of differentiated experience
from what is required of other students

Experience Advisor

Identify an experience advisor and provide their contact information. Explain why you chose this person and how you
plan to utilize your advisor for this experience.
Note: Advisor(s) should have knowledge or expertise in an area related to the experience. Honors advisors, undergraduate
students, and family members cannot be experience advisors.
For my experience advisor I would select Zach Jonker. Zach is my high school econ teacher and an the founder of a
company himself. Zach would serve as a very good advisor because of his experience as a business owner, and
background knowledge in economics. Zach also lives in my hometown and would therefore be more accessible as an
advisor during the summer.

Advisor Feedback

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Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Experience advisor name and contact

information
Description of why advisor was selected
Specific plans to engage with advisor

Connection to Learning Outcomes

List 3 learning outcomes from any thematic area(s). Provide specific activities you plan to engage in to help you make
progress towards the chosen learning outcomes. Describe how you expect each activity to help your progress. Include an
estimated time commitment for those activities.
By immersing myself in the culture of downhill skateboarding I will better understand the culture and history of the sport,
I will understand nuances like slang and the culture and expectations of events.
I will contribute to the general goal of the community to grow the sport by producing media and spreading knowledge and
skill of the sport. I will produce high quality media such as pictures and video that can be shared around, and second of all
creating clothing dedicated to a sport will serve as advertising itself.
In the designing of the clothing I will understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or
community. I will be designing clothing with certain criteria such as budget, comfort, practicality and available materials.
Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

3 learning outcomes explicitly identified

from any thematic area(s)
Examples of activities and explanation of
how each will assist the progress towards
the chosen learning outcome
Estimated time commitment for each
activity

Academic Resources Connected to the Learning Outcomes

List 1-2 academic resources you plan to use to enhance your understanding of the learning outcomes. Explain how each
resource connects to your learning outcome(s) and helps you execute your experience. Please include the title and
author/creator for each resource.
Note: Academic resources are professional works that can be used to assist your understanding of the topic. Some
examples are books, documentaries, videos, or research journals.
Standofords How to Start a Start Up podcast lecture series will serve as my first resource. In this lecture series,
different start up operators talk about their success and failures and advice that they would give. This resource would
serve the purpose as a road map for my own experience. They give advice about scalability, funding, and how to operate
successfully.

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Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

1-2 academic resources connected to the

learning outcomes
Title and author of each resource
Description of how resources will help
make progress towards learning outcomes
and execution of experience

On-going Reflection

The on-going reflection should help you process the experience and progress toward your chosen learning outcomes.
Describe your method for reflecting throughout the experience. Indicate specific reflection questions/topics you plan to
use to guide your reflective process.
Note: A variety of methods can be used for on-going reflection. Some examples are videos, drawings, blogs, songs, and
journals. Reflection topics to consider include your ideas/insights about the experience, connection to other areas of
involvement, and your progress towards the learning outcomes.
I will carry on a blog on my learning portfolio as my documentation for reflection. I will post weekly on my progress, on
what I've done and insights. I will also post videos and photos from the media that I produce for my company, and post
sketches for product ideas.

Advisor Feedback
Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

Method for ongoing reflection

Reflection questions/topics clearly
specified

Sharing Your Learning

Describe how you plan to actively share what youve taken away from this experience with a targeted audience. Explain
why you chose this specific audience.
Note: While social media can be an effective platform for sharing, only posting on your personal learning portfolio or
social media account(s) does not reach a targeted audience.
I will make a video describing the entire process of creating a company and feeding its growth. This video will be
targeted to specifically U.C. students interested in starting their own business and to other skaters interested in
entrepreneurship. This video will be divided into the chapters of: Idea, growth, and maintenance.

Advisor Feedback

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Must Include:

Required Revisions:

Effective:

At least one method to actively share takeaways/learning from the experience

A specific audience and why the audience
was selected

Budget (if applicable)

Provide an itemized budget and indicate your source for cost information.
*If you are engaged in an unpaid internship or research, please indicate the number of weeks and hours per week you
plan to participate.
NA
Advisor Feedback
Notes:
Detailed budget of expenditures with
sources to justify budget estimates
*Indicates the number of hours per week
and number of weeks of participation

Required Revisions:

Effective:

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THEMATIC AREA LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcomes for the Community Engagement Thematic Area:
By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Identify and differentiate multiple ways to contribute towards the development or

achievement of the communitys goals.
Develop a thorough understanding of the world view, beliefs, experiences, selfconsciousness, or history of community members through collaboration.
Articulate the purpose of service on a social issue or public policy and how service
mutually enhances individual growth and the common good.
Explain how education, advocacy, mobilization, or public policy can influence social
issues and transform communities.

Learning Outcomes for the Creativity Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Discover new techniques to gain knowledge, consider options, make new connections,
and ask questions.

Explore a new creative competency/medium or seek new ways to engage an existing

competency/medium.

Understand and optimize the use of people, technology, physical resources or community
in a creative process.

Articulate the broader significance of a creative project and the value of its contributions.

Learning Outcomes for the Global Studies Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Develop practical travel skills that promote safe, stimulating, and productive travel
throughout your life.

Summarize the interconnectedness of geography, history, cultural traits and world issues.

Articulate the interdependence of professional fields to address current and impending

global issues such as technology, the environment, human rights, or politics.

Demonstrate an understanding of cultural diversity by acknowledging the impact of their

own identity and the experience of social norms, customs, or beliefs that are different
from their own.

Demonstrate a sense of empathy, respect, and appreciation for others to build meaningful
cross-cultural collaborations toward mutual growth and prosperity.

Learning Outcomes for the Leadership Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Formulate and manage a shared vision and develop goals towards its achievement.

Motivate and collaborate effectively with others towards completion of shared projects or
goals.

Develop strategies to identify and respond to challenges and obstacles.

Identify personal strengths and areas of growth and evaluate opportunities to maximize
skills and abilities.

Synthesize the current trends related to a specific issue or field and evaluate how
thought-leaders are currently addressing them.

Learning Outcomes for the Research Thematic Area:

By engaging in this thematic area, you will make progress towards learning how to

Demonstrate the ability to locate, interpret, and critically evaluate primary sources
appropriate to field.
Identify and apply appropriate methods to collect and organize data for analysis.
Analyze and interpret the meaning of results.
Produce dissemination appropriate to the field in order to share the results or impact
of the research.
Articulate the broader significance of the research project and its relationship to other
fields, research and ideas.